Ambassador
András Simonyi had a conference call with members of the Hungarian Cuba
Committee on June 1. The Committee, which includes the representatives
from youth organizations of four major Hungarian political parties, was
established in 2005 with the help of Freedom House. The primary objectives
of the Committee are: to raise awareness of human rights violations in
Cuba; to use
the Hungarian experience to facilitate a democratic transition in
Cuba; and, to mobilize Hungarian political
parties to take action in support of that goal.
Members
of the Cuba Committee: Csaba Dömötör (Fidelitas), Gábor Bródi (Fiatal
Baloldal), András Kovács (Ifjúsági Demokrata Fórum) Flóra Takács (Új
Generáció) emphasized the importance of uniting their efforts to help
Cuban freedom and democracy prevail. They organize conferences and
exhibitions with the objective of expressing solidarity with the Cuban
people and to discuss practical ways of reaching out to them.
Ambassador
Simonyi and the members of the Committee as well as other participants of
the conference call: Ana Carbonell, Chief of Staff for Congressman Lincoln
Diaz-Balart, Frank Calzon, Executive Director of the Center for a Free
Cuba, Joaquin Ferrao, Senior Advisor of Under-Secretary Paula Dobriansky
and Sarah Jedrzejczak, Senior Program Manager at Freedom House agreed on
the following:
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The Cuba
Committee will be connected to the network of prominent organizations
devoted to promote freedom and democracy in Cuba. A constant flow of
information and exchange of ideas will widen the scope and enhance the
efficiency and the visibility of our endeavors. The website of the HCC
will be linked to other organizations and institutions.
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The photo
exhibition by Oliviero Toscani entitled “Forbidden to Think,”
scheduled to be exhibited in Budapest June 18-24 and organized by the
Cuba Committee and Freedom House, will be widely publicized. The
Center for a Free Cuba will support the event.
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Members of the
Cuba Committee will visit the United States later this year to inform
Congress about their activities and to meet representatives of the
Cuban-American community.
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Members of the
Cuba Committee will contact dissidents in Cuba to express their
solidarity.
Contact
information for the Hungarian Cuba Committee:
Domotor
Csaba, Fidelitas: csaba.domotor@fidesz.hu;
H. Nagy Laszlo, Fiatal Baloldal: h.nagy.laszlo@invitel.hu;
Kovacs Andras, Ifjusagi Demokrata Forum: ka82@freemail.hu;
Takacs Flora, Uj Generacio: takacs@ujgeneracio.hu;
Balazs Aron Kovacs: bkovacs@freedomhouse.hu
